[closed] a little party never killed nobody

[spellslots]

who: The IPRE + friends
what: A dinner party!
when: Novemeber 18
where: Chez IPRE
warnings: some mild drug use (alcohol + marijuana)

Party time, motherfuckers. After sending out invitations, the IPRE (mostly Taako, because he's the most extra of the group) spends a significant amount of the week preparing for the party, making sure they have all the food, decorations, and wine necessary to put on a good evening. The whole point of this is to be a distraction from a shitty month, and to get everyone together, since they have a range of friends who haven't all met each other. They've been talking about doing something like this for months, so it's nice to finally pull it all together.

Upon arrival (and despite Taako and Lup's involvement) the decorations are minimal. Couches have been transmuted from their regular fabric to rich velvets, there's a little glitz and feathers here and there, but they didn't want to go too hard on the theme. It was just a way to have a little fun with the evening. The bar cart, on the other hand, is definitely in line with Speakeasy, featuring a lot of gin and whiskey based drinks, though anyone with a preference for wine or beer won't be disappointed. The start of the evening is dedicated to introductions and mingling, probably helped by the alcohol, though there's also cheese and antipasto plates set out, just in case anyone was worried about not being fed at something hosted by two chefs. As a way to break the ice, and to get people talking and having fun before the evening really kicks off, the brick wall of the small living room has been set aside as the designated backdrop for a 'photo booth', which mostly consists of a few instant cameras, including one that takes what are essentially magical gifs, so long as the button is held down for 5 seconds. There are a few props that match the theme of the evening - fur stoles, feather headbands, felt hats, long strings of pearls - to make the photos a little more fun. Once everyone is seated in the dining room, it's time for dinner. The food brought out for the main meal is warm and rich without being too heavy, slow cooked meats and roasted vegetables can be mixed with salads and lighter sides to avoid anyone slipping into a food coma before dessert has even begun. Everything is set in the middle of the table, for people to serve themselves, so they can pick and choose what they want to try. Lup has made at least one incredibly spicy dish, so be careful.

While there's no rush to leave the table, eventually plates are cleared away (by magic, so none of the hosts have to stop chatting) and everyone is ushered into the larger of their living rooms, where the small coffee table has been replaced by a seemingly floating table that's large enough to accommodate all the desserts. There are various pies (pecan, pumpkin, cherry), apple & maple cake, chocolate tarts, brownies and trifle. There aren't quite as many options as there were on the dinner table, but it's near a thing, especially when the section of the table devoted to cream, ice cream and sauces is taken into consideration. Dessert is an extended affair, pies will stay warm and ice cream will stay frozen for as long as they remain on the table, so people can return and try more even as the rest of the night presses on. And although the food is, really, the main attraction of any kind of event that Taako is involved with, that doesn't mean there aren't things to do other than eating. Once the dining room table has been cleared, (plastic) champagne glasses are laid out in what might be a familiar formation to anyone who went to college, especially when a ping pong ball is added to the mix. It's beer pong! Except it's actually prosecco pong, because this is a classy joint, not some frat. Or at least, that's the excuse. There are a few other things to do, mostly in the more generic range of party games, including a deck of Cards Against Humanity that Taako discovered a couple weeks ago and had been delighted by. He's definitely going to wrangle people into a game of Never Have I Ever, maybe Truth Or Dare, and anything else he can think of that requires drinking alcohol and saying stupid shit. What better way is there to get to know people? As things wind down, the backdoors open up into the courtyard, where a fire is set up, cushions and blankets placed outside for people to curl up with. The fixings for s'mores are available for anyone who somehow still has room to eat more food, and there's mulled cider just in case the fire isn't enough to keep people warm. It's a nice way to wrap up the evening.

Comments

Lup | OTA

[umbrastaff]

[Of course, Lup has to go in the direction you did not expect, so instead of a lovely flapper dress like her brother, she's going for a red suit with a white shirt underneath, red suspenders and tie, as well as a black bowler to top it all off. Adding some feminine charm to it all with high heels and a bead-and feather applique on her hat, she's rocking the look.

She works her charms with the guests, making sure they try everything (especially her spicy dishes) and have full glasses of whatever they might enjoy. Lup is also quick to pull wallflowers to the mingle and especially chatting with the people she didn't know as well as others. It was so nice to get to know some of her friends' friends, and she's quite curious to hear how they met the IPRE crew.

Later in the evening she's more chill with the host stuff and just gets into the playing of games instead. Unlike her sweet brother she's very competitive and challenges anyone that comes too close to play the prosecco pong to the point when she sets the ball on fire and there's a moment of champagne flambé before she puts it out quickly and laughs.

She's also much more for dares than truths in Truth or Dare, so beware. Never Have I Ever threatens to get her blind drunk, so she skips that in lieu for the absolutely worst game of Cards Against Humanity, where she choses the most lewd and/or inappropriate shit she can muster.

As the night proceeds and the party slows, she does the same as her brother and drapes herself over people (especially anyone who looks cold, as she runs hot) and just enjoys being surrounded by people like this. There were stars in the sky, a nice fire, some premium weed and that great feeling of a day well spent.

If she nods off and her ghost ass falls out of her body, she's not even sorry.]

[realists]

[ jyn peers at the spicy dish -- knowing it's the spicy dish because cassian specifically pointed it out as the spicy dish -- and shakes her head, cradling her half empty drink with both hands. jyn + spicy is a no, she's a delicate flower. ]

I don't do spicy.

[ imagine cassian's dismay. ]

You're Taako's sister?

[umbrastaff]

[Alright, alright. She won't force it on somebody (especially if they already knew it was five kinds of chili in there).]

No problem, I've got some ones with less bite in them. The butternut squash casserole is my personally favorite today, because I had to fight for that damn squash.

[Grinning, she looks at Jyn and pulls some of her white hair behind an ear.]

What gave it away? Our identical faces?

[Wink.]

[realists]

May have had something to do with it, [ jyn allows, not hesitating to scoop up the squash casserole. if she doesn't like it, she'll just dump it on cassian's plate but honestly, she's spent so long food insecure she will eat anything -- regardless of the taste. ]

We have species with pointed ears but none of them are called elves.

[umbrastaff]

We should start wearing numbered shirts, right?

[It's a damn fine casserole, if she can say so herself.

Lup is a little curious when Jyn mentions pointy-eared people, though.]

Really? What are they called, then?

[realists]

The Sephi would be the closest, I think. [ jyn studies lup carefully for a moment, gaze calculative. not a speck of her seems ashamed to be staring. ] They're usually purpley or pinkish. There's loads of others, though none quite so near human. And if the species isn't known the default is usually the homeworld.

[ welcome to the galaxy of 20,000+ species, there's a reason jyn isn't fussed by appearance. ]

[umbrastaff]

That is amazing. I've heard a lot about other worlds and other races here in Riverview- but it seems they all have humans, at least.

[There's a little wink.]

Or at least what looks like humans.

prosecco pong....

[ohhmrburnsides]

No, no, bring the fire back, I'll drink it.

[umbrastaff]

I'm not gonna be fucking responsible for your roasted throat, Maggie.

[This wasn't a cycle where they could just off themselves for the lols, sadly.]

I'll flambée something else for you if you win.

[bunnyhopped]

[ Hana, naturally, has shown up in a sparkly pink flapper dress. She's actually been rather looking forward to hanging out with Lup again - it's been a long while! This entails, apparently, getting into a really heated match of prosecco pong. Hana's quite new to this kind of game but she catches on quickly and her own competitive spirit gets her a long way even against Lup, so the match really is heated - figuratively, at first—

and then the ball erupts into flames just as it splashes into a glass and sets the whole thing ablaze.

Hana looks on at first, eyes wide with surprise before she just - laughs. Like, a lot. ]

Oh, my god! That was awesome!

[umbrastaff]

I'm gonna crush you!

[This is one dangerous match, and Lup is in the zone until the ball catches fire and she has to put it all out like that. She joins Hana in the laughter, using mage hand to pick up the poor ball (and sliiightly moving a flute).]

Aw, fuck. Is burning shit a penalty or an instant win?

[bunnyhopped]

It's totally a penalty? Obviously.

[ Look, impressive as it was, it's unfair because Hana can't set balls on fire herself. There is no justice in the universe. ]

[umbrastaff]

Awww.

[She sticks out her tongue a bit.]

Your turn, then. See if you can beat me.

[Especially since she cheated a bit with the flute.]

[bunnyhopped]

Of course I can!

[ Hana sticks her tongue out in return!

And then she takes a step back, squinting her eyes and getting into her ball-tossing stance. It's a little challenging, what with how much she's had to drink even before playing the game, to rely on her excellent hand-eye coordination when said coordination is a bit impaired. But she tries her hardest, even performing a few test swings with her arm before she throws the ball—

which lands on the table—

but then bounces right into a flute. ]

[umbrastaff]

[There's a tense moment as Hana gets ready, and when the ball lands in the flute you might think that Lup would be dismayed that her cheating didn't work - but no, Lup cheers far too loudly than what would be appropriate, and is beaming at Hana.]

Holy shiet, girl! Is there anything you cannot do?

[evasives]

[he is pretty sure the woman is lup, given how much she resembles taako. it's a safe guess! he's heard so much about her at this point from her brother, not even on purpose he's sure - just little tidbits taako dropped candidly about his sister.]

[cassian could probably play dumb about getting identity confirmation, but he doesn't need to. whatever conversation he starts doesn't need to have a purpose other than finally meeting the infamous sister. it's a reminder to himself. he catches her towards the end of dinner at last.]

And you must be the co-cook for all this food.

[umbrastaff]

[Considering they're identical twins, it's easy as pie for this guess. Only difference is the curves that she's rocking in her suit.

Seeing Cassian coming up to her, she smiles. Lup wasn't 100% sure of the names of Taako's friends, but she's sure he's been gossiping about her to them. This guy was cute, too, and she gives him a little salute as he correctly assumes her involvement in this.]

That's me! Did you try my chili?

[evasives]

[their clothing choices don't surprise him? at least taako's didn't, but lup's suit is very nice too. he'd feel underdressed if he wasn't comfortable enough in what he found thanks to the simplicity of it.]

[lup is, evidently, just as outgoing as her brother. that's his very first impression.]

I did. It was a good amount of spice, despite any proclamations otherwise. [he has been amusing himself all night watching people try it tbh.] I know your brother. He said you helped with it all.

[umbrastaff]

[She's halfway to getting all proud with his praise of her chilli, but then it crashes and burns (not really).]

Oh I helped, is it?

['Scuse her as she flips Taako off.]

We did this together, you know? He just likes taking the credit, like the dick he is.

[That insult should not have sounded that fond.

Either way, she looks back at Cassian with a smile.]

How did you get to know my brother?

[evasives]

[it is very much a sibling interaction. not that he has any of his own, but he's seen enough of them interact to recognize the righteously ticked off fondness.]

[he lets himself look amused at taako's expense.] At least he did not claim it all.

He was one of the first people I met when I arrived. We've kept in touch. [are they friends?? they're probably friends. cassian's just not used to that word.]

[dothelokimotion]

[ Be more sorry! Loki doesn't start, but it's a near thing as he eyes the body and Lup surreptitiously. ]

Has it stopped functioning?

[umbrastaff]

Yup, totally broken.

[Lup scoots a bit back into the vessel and laughs.]

For real though, it's great. Just doesn't stick all the time if I'm not concentrating a little, but cha girl's got it all covered.

[She's drunk and lazy and probably leaning on him now. What is all this elf drapery on poor gods?]

You good?

[dothelokimotion]

[ At least he's used to it, so Loki doesn't tense up as much as he used to. ]

I am never good, but I seem to be fine for now.

[ Which, considering the latest circumstances, is a blessing. Though Loki wonders if he should be feeling more. ]

[umbrastaff]

[Hey, he's kinda comfy at least.]

That's something, at least? [Lup grins again.] I gotta tell you, I'm so fucking glad that Taako got you for a friend.

[She's a little tipsy, okay.]

I mean, I don't know you as well as I wanna, but he immediately thought of you to help him with my body thing... and he wouldn't trust that with anyone. Plus you two are a good match.

[dothelokimotion]

[ Why is he being called out like this. ]

A good match?